Hand metal-shears.



W. A. WHITNEY.

HAND METAL SHEARS.

APPLICATION FILED M347, 1912.

Patented June 24, 1913.

w nventor l Attorneys W. A. WHITNEY.

HAND METAL SHEARS.

APPLIOATION FILED FBB.17, 1912.

Patented June 24, 1913.

Inventor Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. WILLIAM WTFIITNEY, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WHITNEY METAL i TOOL COMPANY.

HAND METAL-SHEARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 24, 1913.

Application filed February 17, 1912. Serial No. 678,254.

T 0' all whom it may concern:

Be it known that-I, WVILLIAM A. WHrr- NEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the, county of \Vinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Hand, Metal-Shears, of. which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shears, such as.

are specially intended for cutting metal or performing other heavy work, although the principles of the present invention may be applied to lighter forms of shears, if desired.

The objects of the invention are, first, to adapt the shears to be folded into small compass when not in use, whereby to render them readily portable; second, to provide WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides 1n the combinatlon and arrangement of parts and 1n the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invent-ion, herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pair of shears constructed in accordance with the present invention, the operating handle being thrown upward to its extreme limit and the guiding handle being in alinement with the straight or under blade of the shears, the supporting means being shown in position to hold the guiding handle in raised position; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l showing the operating handle thrown downward to the point Where its movement is checked by the stop on the guiding handle; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the shears, part of the handles being broken away; Fig. 4 is a view inside elevation showing both of the handles folded underneath the blades so as torender the device readily portable; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1 showing the means for limiting the downward movement of the operating handle; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 showing the handle fulcrum; Fig. 7 is a detail view of the device for locking the guiding handle in alinement with the straight blade; and Figs. 8 and 9 are views of the detachable cutting members having their contacting faces concaved to provide for self-sharpening, means being shown for adjusting the cutting edges of said members toward each other.

Like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

The shears of thepresent invent-ion comprise a lower or straight blade 1 and an upper or shearing blade 2. The lower blade 1 is provided with a straight cutting edge 3, and the upper blade 2 with a curved or shearing edge 4. The straight blade 1 and shearing hlade 2 are connected with each other. by the blade fulcrum 5. The straight blade 1 isprovided with a handle or guiding member 6. The guiding handle 6 is pivotally connected with the straightblade 1 by means of the handle fulcrum 7. The pivotal connection between the guiding handle "6 and the lower or straight blade 1 is what may be termed an elbow connection, that is a connection which will fold downward from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 4, but which will not fold upward. The preferred means for providing this elbow connection is best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing wherein it will be seen that the rear end of the straight, blade 1 is enlarged, as indicated at 9, a slot 10 being formed in the enlargement 9.

Fitting snugly into the slot 10 is an extension 11 of the guiding handle 6. The guiding handle 6 is formed with a shoulder 12 which abuts against a complementary shoulder on the rear end of the blade 1, as shown in Fig. 3. Moreover, the end of the extension 11 abute against the end of the slot 10 and these abutting shoulders, in connection with the fact that the blade fulcrum 7 extendsthrough the blade 1 and the ban dle 6. at a point below the said abutting shoulders, provide a joint which can fold downward but not upward. It is to be understood, however, that any other suitable form of elbow joint can, be employed.

For the purpose of preventing the hand of the operator from being pinched between the blades, the guiding handle 6, intermedi ate its ends, is bent slightly, as indicated at 14 and the handleportion 15 is disposed at a slight downward angle terminating at its lower end in a support 16 which rests upon the surface on which the work is being performed. It will be obvious that during the cutting operation, the shears are supported at their rear ends by the support 16, and at their forward ends by the lower or straight blade 1, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The specific means for preventing the operating handle 17 from being thrown downward far enough to strike the handle portion 15 of the guiding handle 6 preferably consists of a spring operated stop 18 shown in Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawing. The stop 18 is thrown normally into operative position by the spring 19 and may be retracted either by the finger piece 20 or the beveled portion 21. The unbeveled side of the stop 18 is presented upward in Fig. 1 so as to engage the operating handle 17 and limit its downward movement. When folding the two handles, as here inafter described, it is necessary to retract the stop 18 by the finger piece 20 in order that the operating handle 17 may pass slightly beyond the guiding handle, as shown in Fig. 4.. The beveled side 21 of the .stop permits the operating handle tobe subsequent'ly thrown back into its uppermost.

position by riding over the stop 20, after which said stop snaps outward and. resumes its normal function of limiting the downward movement of the operating handle.

The operating handle 17' is mounted. on the handle fulcrum 7. For'the purpose of bracing the handle fulcrum 7 and the blade fulcrum 5, a bracing plate 24: extends from oneof said fulcrum members to the other. The bracing plate 24 is disposed on the out-. side of the shearing blade 2, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. Suitable nuts are mountedon the blade and handle fulcrums 5 and 7, as shown' clearly in the drawing.

The means for communicating the movement of the operating handle 17 to the shearlng blade 2 with eatly increased force or leverage, preferab y includes the operating teeth 26 mounted or formed on the operating handle 17 adjacent the fulcrum 7 thereof, the teeth 26 engaging with similar teeth 27 formed on a transverse head 28 which is mounted on the rear end of the shearing blade 2. By moving the operating handle 17 downward, toward the guiding handle 6, it will be obvious that the rear end of the shearing blade 2 will be swun upward and the cuttingor shearing e ge 4 will be moved downward against the straight cutting edge 3, so as to shear the metal held therebetween. It will be observed from Fig. 1 that the supporting member '16 of the guiding handle 6, by holding said guiding handle in raised position, provides a clearance space for the head 28 of the shearing blade2, so that said head or toothed portion will be able to move downward to the full limit without beingretarded by striking against the surface on which the work is being performed.

It will be obvious that the shears as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 can be readily folded into the position shown in Fig. 4 by swinging both of the handles downward on the handle fulcrum 7 until they assume the posit-ion shown inFig. 4., beneath the blades 1 and 2.

I prefer to employ means for locking the guiding handle 6 in alinement with the straight blade 1, so that thejoint' between the handle and the blade will not accident ally break upward. I also prefer to use the operating handle 17 as a means of controlling the locking devicev for the guiding handle 6. The means for 'acc'omplishin this result will now be described. Exten ing through the rear end of the'straight blade 1 is a spring operated bolt 30;which,

shears are in operation, the operating l1andle 17 is never thrown as high as it is shown in Fig. 1. The operating handle 17 is only moved to this upward limit for the purpose of releasing the bolt 30, whereby to unlock the guiding handle 6, and thus permit the shears to be folded. In the position shown in Fig. 1 the bolt 30 isheld by the spring 31 out of engagement with the socket 32 in the guiding handle 6. By drawing the handle 17 backward a' slightdistance, said handle 'rides'over a beveled nose 33 on the bolt 80, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and thus forces said bolt into the socket 32, against the action of :the spring 31, and holds itpositively in such position during all of the time that the operating handle is used to operate the. shears. When it is desired to fold the shears, the operating handle 17 is first thrown upward into the extreme position shown in Fig. 1, so that the portion of said Operating handle adjacent the handle ward and then upward, almostinto the folded position shown in Fig. 4, it strikes against the unbeveled side of the stop 18 in Fig. 5, and it is necessary to retract said stop by the finger piece 20 in order to permit the operating handle 17 to move upward the remainder of the way so as to lie snugly in the position shown in Fig. 4.

. In assembling the shears for use, the operating handle 17 in Fig. 4 is first drawn downward. During this movement it rides readily over the beveled face 21 of the stop 18. The operating handle 17 is then thrown entirely around into the extreme position shown in Fig. 1, thus permitting the locking member '30 to be thrown outward by its spring 31. The guiding handle 6 canthen be swung from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 6. The operating handle 17 is then swung a slight distance to the left in Fig. 1 so that it engages the beveled nose 33 of the pin 30 and throws it into the socket 32, thus locking the guiding handle Gin alinement with the straight blade 1 and holding it positively locked in that position until the operating handle 17 is again thrown backward into its extreme upward position preparatory to folding the shears.

In Figs. 8 and 9 of thedrawing are shown the details of the improved vdetachable cutting members 35 and 36 which are set into rabbeted portions 37 of the blades '1 and. 2. The contacting faces of the cutting members 35 and 36 are concaved, as indicated at 38, whereby to provide for self-sharpening of the cutting edges when the shear members are drawn apart.

The-means for holding the blades in position and for adjusting them from time to time consists of the large set screws 40 which extend through the blades 1 and 2 and engage the rear or non-cutting edges of the cutting members 35 and 36. Extending through the blades 1 and 2 are blind set screws 41 whichengage the outer faces of the cutting members nearer their cutting edges than the set screws 40. By screwing the blind set screws 41 inward, the cutting portions of the cutters are forced or set toward each other so as to make up for any wear thereon.

By means 'of the foregoing improved selfsha'rpening means and the combination of the straight cutting edge 3 with'the curved or shearing edge 4, the operation of the device is found to be very -satisfactory. 7

-What is claimed as new is: 1. Shears havin' a pair 'ofhandles both adapted to be fol ed against the same side of the shears.

2. Shears having folding handles, one of saidhandles being adapted to be locked-inalinement with one blade of the shears;

3. Shears c'omprisin blades, handles, a

blade. fulcrum, a han le fulcrum securing both handles to one of said blades, the other of said blades being operatively connected with one of said handles.

for locking said guiding handle in alinement with one of said blades and an operative connection between said operating handle and the other of said blades.

5. Shears comprising upper and lower blades, guiding and operating handles the guiding handle bein bent away from the operating handle an said operating handle being straight, a blade fulcrum, a handle fulcrum connecting both of said handles to the lower blade, an operative connection be tween the operating handle and the upper blade, and a supporting member connected with the guiding handle, for the purpose specified. 1

6. Shears comprising upper and lower blades, a bent guiding and a straight operating handle, a blade fulcrum, a handle fulcrum connecting both of said handles to the lower blade, an operative connection between the operating handle and the upper blade, the guiding handle being bent adjacent the grip and having a supporting member extending downward therefrom, for the purpose specified.

7. Shears comprising blades, a guiding and'an operating hand e, a blade fulcrum, a handle fulcrum connecting both of said handles to one of said blades, the operating handle being operatively connected with the other blade, and means controlled by the operating handle for locking the guiding handle in alinement with one of the blades.

8. Shears comprising blades, a bent guiding and a straight operating handle, a blade fulcrum, a handle fulcrum connecting both of'said handles to one of said blades, the operating handle being operatively connected with the other blade, and means on one of said handles for limiting the downward movement of the operating handle.

9. Shears comprisin blades, handles a blade fulcrum, a hand 0 fulcrum extendlng through both the handles and one blade, both handles being foldable relatively to the blades.

10. Shears comprising blades, handles, a blade fulcrum, a handle fulcrum extending through both the handles and one blade, both handles being foldable relative to the blades, one of the handles being oldablc only in one direction.

11. Shears comprising a guiding handle having a downwardly extending grip and a supporting member connected With said grip, a blade connected With said guiding handle by a folding joint, a second blade fulcrumed on said first blade, a folding operating handle pivotally connected With said guiding handle and first blade and an operating connection between said operating handle and said second blade. V

In testimony that I claim theforegoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. Witnesses:

STANTON A. HYER, ROBERT F. MA SHALL.

WHITNEY. 

